


Survive the Night (Stranger Things x Until Dawn)

by major_fangirl



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016), Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:48:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29681409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/major_fangirl/pseuds/major_fangirl
Summary: The Demogorgon: a terrifying, other-worldly creature that  is lethal. Feeds on living human beings.The Wendigo: a terrifying, other-worldly creature that is lethal. Feeds on living human beings.The teens of Hawkins, Indiana have had more experience with monsters than they would like. They've all been bruised, beaten, and nearly killed. After the year they've had, a weekend getaway at a gorgeous lodge in the Canadian mountains sounds like a dream come true.For the teens of Alberta, Canada, monsters are nothing more than fictional creatures made to scare people. They are completely unaware that one of these very "fictional" monsters was the cause of death for two of their best friends one year ago. A weekend at the Washington lodge to grieve and reconnect sounds like a good idea.The two groups are brought together when the Washington travel company rents the lodge to both groups on the same weekend. But when things begin to go awry, the young teens will begin to question whether it was accident or fate that brought them together on a night that tests the strength of existing friendships and relationships, forms new connections, and puts even the strong-willed Hawkins teens to a test.
Relationships: Ashley Brown/Chris Hartley, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Emily Davis/Matt Taylor (Until Dawn), Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Mike Munroe/Jessica Riley
Kudos: 7





	1. Prologue

** Thursday, November 13, 1998, 6:02pm: Hawkins, Indiana, Wheeler Residence: Mike Wheeler and El Hopper **

"Hey El, wake up. Hopper is going to be here any time," Mike said. El opened her eyes slowly and saw Mike staring at her, a cute little smirk on his face.  


"I don't wanna," she groaned and rolled over, hiding her face against Mike's chest.

"I don't want to either. But you know how Hop feels about us being in the same bed, even if it is the futon in my living room where my parents can see us," Mike said. El giggled against his shirt and he couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. She sat up finally and rose to her feet, her face appearing in the circular mirror that Mrs. Wheeler had hanging on the living room wall. She ran her fingers through her hair to try and tame the frizz and mess that came from their little nap. Mike wrapped his arms around her from behind and placed a soft kiss on her exposed shoulder.

"I wish I didn't have to leave..." El said and turned around to face him. She put her arms around his neck and he kissed her softly.

"Me too. But we're going on vacation soon. Then we'll have some time to ourselves," Mike said.

"Well, with the others, too," El said sarcastically.

"Maybe so. But at night, it'll be just us," Mike smirked.

El blushed red and kissed him again. But a millisecond later, as if the universe was speaking to them, there was a knock on the door.

"Come on in!" Mike shouted. Hopper stepped in the door and removed his hat.

"Hey kid, you ready to go? I've got a couple stops to make on the way home," Hopper said. He rubbed his face. He'd clearly had a long day.

"Yea, let's go," she said, scooping up her bag. She gave Mike another quick kiss.

"I love you. I'll call you soon," Mike said.

"I love you too," she said. She followed Hopper out the door and Mike locked it behind her with a sigh. He hated when she had to leave. He went to the phone to call Lucas so they could finish planning their vacation.

** Thursday, November 13, 1998, 7:45pm: Hawkins, Indiana, Mayfield/Hargrove Residence: Max Mayfield **

Max found herself missing Billy tonight. It didn't happen often, but after she'd watched him sacrifice himself to save Eleven's life from the mind flayer, she realized he was never really a bad person. He was just hurt and angry and took it out on those around him.

"Goodnight Maxine," Neil said from her bedroom doorway.

"Goodnight," she said. He nodded at her and treaded off down the hall. He always went to bed decently early compared to her and her mom. He also got up for work early too. But Max hated Neil. He was abusive and fake. She didn't have any idea what her mom ever saw in him.

Once she heard the bedroom door close, she wandered out of her room and quietly went down the hall to Billy's room. Everything was just as he'd left it that fateful night. She sat down on his bed and ran her fingers over the covers of his bed. Even after all this time, his room still smelled of cologne, sweat, and cigarette smoke. He was always smoking, working out, and/or primping himself for a date. His dad and her mom thought he was killed in the huge fire at Starcourt, but she had been there, so she knew. Neil never even shed a tear about his son's death, which pissed Max off. A lot. How could you not cry over your own child's death? Even if you did abuse them? She wondered if there was something; anything in Neil that made him feel any remorse or sadness. Or if he felt anything other than anger.

Max was broken out of her thoughts by the phone in her room ringing. She jogged down the hall as quietly as possible and scooped it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Max, it's Lucas."

"Oh hey...what's up?" Max asked. She finally released the tension in her throat from holding back tears just moments ago.

"Mike and I worked out a vacation plan. I wanted to call and run it by you," Lucas said.

"Hit me."

"So there is this absolutely gorgeous lodge in the mountains in Canada. It isn't super expensive to rent for a weekend either. And it's huge," Lucas said.

"How much for the weekend?"

"Its $200 per night, per person."

"Why the hell is it so cheap? Is something wrong with it?"

"Nothing with the lodge in particular. It's owned by this family called the Washingtons. Apparently, about a year ago, their two daughters Hannah and Beth both disappeared in the mountains and they're, like, suspected to be dead or something."

"And you and Mike want us to go to those mountains? And stay in a lodge owned by a family who's two daughter's went missing in said mountains?"

"Uhh...yep, pretty much sums it up."

Thank god Lucas couldn't see her rolling her eyes.

"You and Mike really are trying to get us killed," Max said. She laughed, but she was hardly joking.

"If you don't want to go we could always find anoth-"

"Of course I want to go! It sounds wonderful," Max laughed. Anything to get out of the house and away from Neil. Max was going out of her mind.

"Alright, well I'll let Mike know then," he said.

"Awesome. I'm really tired tonight, so I'm going to lay down. I love you," Max said.

"I love you too. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Sleep well," Lucas said. Max smiled to herself as she hung up the phone and yawned. She was surprised by how tired she was, considering it was only a bit after 8. She kicked her shoes off and they landed on the floor with a thud. She threw on a pair of pajamas quickly. They were just her discarded ones she'd worn last night, but one more night wouldn't hurt. She was too lazy to care.

She climbed into bed under her covers and let out a sigh. Her eyelids were super heavy. She was so exhausted, both emotionally and physically.

Man, she thought, I need this vacation.

** Thursday, November 13, 1998, 5:30pm: Alberta, Canada, Matthew Taylor's Car: Matthew Taylor and Emily Davis **

"There is no way in hell I am going on any sort of trip with Michael and his new girlfriend. I won't do it!" Emily protested with her arms crossed. Matt was trying his hardest to calm her down, but she could really be a bitch sometimes. And right now, he couldn't stand her.

"Emily that house is huge and I will be there too. You don't even have to spend time with them if you don't want to. But if you won't do it for me, do it for Josh. That's the real reason we're going. Josh is hurting and he needs to be with his friends," Matt said. Emily's expression softened a bit and she rested her hands in her lap.

"Fine. But only for Josh. And Hannah and Beth, of course," Emily said.

"Thank you. I-"

"But I swear to god Matt if anything goes wrong while we're there just know I blame you. Now take me home," she said and crossed her arms again. She turned away from him entirely, staring out the window.

"Yes ma'am," Matt said sarcastically. He rolled his eyes as he started his car and took off down the road, driving as fast as he could through the thick snow.

** Thursday, November 13, 1998, 10:36pm: Alberta, Canada, Samantha Giddings' Home: Samantha Giddings and Ashley Brown. It is now 12:36am on November 14 in Hawkins **

Samantha and Ashley were hanging out for the first time since the incident last year. They had been really close, but they had come to be at odds with each other over Ashley's participation in the prank against Hannah.

"Are we sure it's a good idea for us all to get together? I just...I don't think we're ready yet," Ashley said, setting her book down in her lap.

Sam had a thick textbook resting on her legs and was working on some of her homework for school.

"Josh asked us to. We do it whether we want to or not," Sam said without looking at Ashley.

"Sam, I swear I didn't know what was going to happen or I never would've-"

"It doesn't matter now Ashley. It happened and there isn't anything we can do to change it," Sam snapped. Ashley felt that maybe a sleepover wasn't such a good idea. She closed her book and put it in her backpack. She got off the bed from next to Sam and laid her blankets down on the floor, laying down and turning away from Sam.

"Do you want me to shut the light off? I can use my bedside lamp for homework," Sam said.

"No, it's fine," Ashley said. Sam sighed and got up and switched off the light anyway, then climbed back onto her bed and turned on her lamp.  
"Should we call Josh in the morning and see if he worked out going up to the lodge next weekend?" Ashley asked.

"Yea, probably. I'll put it on a sticky note and stick it on my mirror," Sam said. She grabbed a sticky note from her pencil bag and scribbled a note on it.  
Call Josh about trip to lodge.

She got up and stuck the note on her bathroom mirror, since the first thing she did every morning was brush her teeth. She came back out and saw Ashley with her blankets pulled up to her chin, her eyes closed, and she decided it was time for her to go to sleep too. She climbed into her bed and pulled her covers up, switching off her lamp.

"Goodnight Ashley."

"Night, Sam."

** Friday, November 14, 1998, 9:52am: Alberta, Canada, Samantha Giddings' Home: Samantha Giddings and Ashley Brown **

Samantha woke up to the sun shining in directly on her face. It was so frustrating when that happened. Ashley was already awake, sitting criss-cross on the floor with her nose back in her book.

"Oh hey, good morning," Ashley said, looking up at Sam for a quick second.

"Morning. Did you sleep okay?" Sam asked.

"Yea, surprisingly. It got kind of cold in here but I remembered where your mom keeps the extra blankets so I went and grabbed one, if that's okay."  
"Yea that's no problem. Have you heard from anyone yet this morning?"

"No, it's been quiet." Sam was shocked at how casual Ashley was being with her. Like she hadn't even snapped at her last night. It was like nothing had ever happened.

"Okay...well...why don't we go find something for breakfast and then we can call Josh?" Sam suggested. The fact that she remembered without seeing the sticky note was a miracle.  
Ashley shrugged and set her book down.

"Sure," she said. The girls got up and went to the kitchen, shuffling around to make omelettes. Ashley cut up some fruit for them and they ate quickly. As soon as they finished their food, they ran upstairs and sat on Sam's bed. She dialed Josh's number and they sat there awkwardly while it rang.

"Hey, what's up?" Josh mumbled. He sounded sleepy.

"Oh I'm so sorry if we woke you up!" Sam said.

"It's fine. I needed to wake up anyway. Did you need something?" Josh asked.

"Um...Ash and I were just wondering if it was decided for sure that we're going to go to the lodge next weekend," Sam said.

"Yes, if you can make it, that'd be awesome," Josh said.

"Okay, perfect! Yea. we'll be there. Thanks. Talk to you later, Josh," Sam said. Josh mumbled a small response and hung up. Just like any interaction they'd had over the last year: short and awkward.

"Well?" Ashley asked, looking at Sam expectantly.

"Yea, we're going to the lodge next weekend," Sam said.

"All of us?"

"I think so. But I'm not entirely sure."

"Will uh...will Chris be there?" Ashley asked. Sam looked at her and couldn't help but laugh, which made Ashley laugh too. It felt good to laugh with her best friend again. But the laughter couldn't get rid of the fear that was forming in their stomach about everyone being together again in the very place where Hannah and Beth disappeared, for the first time since it all went down one year ago.


	2. Chapter 1 - Friendship/Memento Mori

**Thursday, November 20, 1998, 5:45pm: Hawkins, Indiana, El Hopper's Home: El Hopper**

El folded her clothes and tucked them neatly into her suitcase. Finally, a weekend getaway with her closest friends and her boyfriend. An escape from the monstrosity that was Hawkins. She held the phone to her ear with her shoulder, shuffling around her room.

"Are you on your way over?" El asked Mike as she grabbed a separate little accessory case for her panties. She was overpacking for just one weekend, but anything could happen, so she wanted to have plenty of clothes.

"Yea. Walking out the door now. I can't believe Hop agreed to let you come over for the night," Mike said. He held his coat closed since he forgot to zip it up as he unlocked his car and sat down in the driver's seat.

"He only agreed cuz we're leaving at like 3 in the morning," El said with a laugh. She grabbed a lingerie set that she had bought at the mall and buried it under the rest of her clothes, then tossed a few other miscellaneous items in. She didn't want Mike to see it until she was ready.

"Well I'm about to pull out of the driveway so I better hang up. I'll be there in a little while," Mike said.

"See you soon," El said with a smile and hung up the phone. She set her phone on her bed and zipped up her suitcase and set it up on its wheels. She made sure she had everything on her list and then slid on her socks and boots and put her coat on. She was chilly even in the house, so she sat on the rug in front of the fire to warm herself up a bit.

"You gonna be okay by yourself? Especially so far away?" Hopper asked. He was having his usual late night snack: tortilla chips with salsa and a beer.

"I won't be alone. And you know you don't have to worry about me. Mike will take care of me," she said.

"I know that. But it's just...with no adults up there with you guys..." Hopper said. 

"We'll be okay. I promise," she said. They sat in silence for a bit and there was a knock at the door.

"I think that's Mike..." El said. She hopped up off the floor and went over to the door.

"Mike!" She said when she opened it. She kissed him quickly and both of them giggled. She was so excited for this trip.

"You ready?" He asked. She nodded and Mike stepped inside for a second as she went to her room to get her suitcase. Hopper stood up and walked over to where Mike was in the front of the room.

"Take care of her this weekend," Hopper said, patting Mike on the shoulder.

"Always," he said, giving Hop and an awkward smile. But Hop knew he was being sincere. El came out with her suitcase and gave Hopper a hug.

"Alright, let's hit the road," Mike said and smiled at El. He took El's suitcase and put his arm around her and they walked outside to his car.

"Be careful you two!" Hopper yelled before shutting the door behind him. He locked it and closed all the curtains and sat on the couch. Time to get drunk.

**Thursday, November 20, 1998, 5:45pm: Alberta, Canada, Jessica Riley's Home: Jessica Riley and Michael Munroe**

"Soo... Josh said we get to stay in the guest house, right?" Jess asked seductively. She and Mike could never take their hands off each other, so Mike asked Josh about the two of them getting the guest house so they could carry out their little sexual activities.

"Yes he did," Mike said. He smirked at her and kissed her and she giggled.

"It'll be fun! We can call it a...a sexcapade," Jess said. She kept her seductive face on, but Mike started laughing.

"A sexcapade? Really?" Mike laughed.

"I thought it was creative!" Jess laughed, smacking his chest.

"Yea. I wouldn't say that's the word for it, buttt...it still sounds like a good plan to me."

Jess smiled and grabbed his shirt and kissed him hard.

"Michael, it's time to go home now," Jessica's mother called from the other side of the door.

"Always interrupting our fun," Jess said, making a pouty face and running her finger down his bicep.

"Only for tonight. Tomorrow night, we'll be home free. See you in the morning," Mike said. He kissed her again and walked out of her room and her mother glared at her.  
"We weren't doing anything!" Jess said. Her mother gave her another look before shutting her bedroom door and seeing Mike outside to his car.

**Thursday, November 20, 1998, 9:30pm: Hawkins, Indiana, Mayfield/Hargrove Residence: Max Mayfield**

"So Max, are you excited?" Max's mother asked her. She was helping her pack her suitcase and she laid an extra coat down on top of her shirts.

"Yes! I need this vacation," Max sighed, adding some leggings on top of her jeans. Her mom nodded and they kept packing in silence. After a few minutes, the silence and the tension of the question she was begging to ask was driving her nuts.

"Mom?" Max said, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"What is it?" Her mom asked, sitting beside her.

"Does Neil ever talk about Billy? Or even show any sign that he misses him?" Max asked. Her mother was taken aback by her question.

"He...he really hasn't...not that I can recall..."

"It's so wrong. I saw Billy die. He hated me, and I despised him. But I'm more upset about his death than his own father. I love you mom, but I need you to realize that Neil is an abusive douchebag and he's never going to change. He didn't shed a tear for his own damn son's death!" Max yelled. She was on the verge of tears.

"Maxine!" Her mother hissed back. She glanced towards the door, afraid Max had woken up Neil. And he was angry when he got woken up.

"Well? It's the truth and you know it. Please mom, you have to leave him. Just...think about it while I'm gone."

Max swiped at her eyes and tossed the sweater Billy got her for Christmas in her bag . He may have been forced to get it for her by his dad, but the fact that he actually did it, AND he picked something in her style, meant something to her. She heard her mother sniffle.

"Goodnight, Maxine. I'll see you when you get back. Be safe and have fun. I love you," her mother mumbled before leaving the room. Max sighed and zipped up her suitcase and set it by her bedroom door with her outfit for tomorrow, her shoes, and her coat. She climbed under the covers and closed her eyes. Even if she was only going to get four hours of sleep, she'd take it over having none at all.

**Friday, November 21, 1998, 2:44am: Hawkins, Indiana, Wheeler Residence: Mike Wheeler and El Hopper**

"El, hey, time to get up," Mike cooed in El's ear. She could be a heavy sleeper, but he also knew that shaking her awake or being noisy could scare the shit out of her sometimes.

"Hmm..." she groaned, pulling the blanket over her face. Mike chuckled and rubbed his hand up and down her arm.

"Ellll it's time to get up and go on vacation," Mike muttered softly. He pulled the blanket down and kissed her cheek.

"C'mon sleepyhead, our flight leaves in like two and a half hours." El groaned again in response and moved the blanket down from her face. Her big, brown eyes opened slowly and she smiled when she saw Mike, slightly hovering over her. She giggled a little, which made Mike smile.

"Do we have to get up just yettt? You could lay down and cuddle with me for like...ten more minutesss," El whined, giving him her signature puppy dog eyes. He chuckled and tried to resist, but he just couldn't. He could never deny her anything she wanted. Besides, ten minutes wouldn't hurt a thing. At least they were already packed. He climbed under the blanket beside her and pulled her into his arms and she sighed in contentment, drawing circles on his still bare chest. He twirled a strand of her hair in his fingers as she buried her face against his chest.

"Mm if you keep doing that I'm going to fall right back asleep," She mumbled, her voice muffled against his skin.

"Well maybe I should stop then," he chuckled.

"How about no?" El giggled. She moved back a little bit and leaned her head up and he pressed his lips to hers softly. She kissed him back softly, placing her hand back on his chest. That was her favorite place to rest her hands and her head when they were kissing or cuddling. Mike smiled into the kiss and put his hand on her waist.

"Hey guys, you'd better get up or you won't have time to get ready. We have to have breakfast still and pick Max up too, remember?" Karen said with a yawn from the hallway entrance that led to her room. They had slept on the pull out sofa in the living room. Karen didn't trust them alone behind closed doors.

"Ugh, alright," Mike groaned. They climbed out of the bed and Karen wandered into the kitchen to make them all breakfast and coffee. Mike made the bed and put it away while El took a quick shower and got herself ready for the day. Then she and Mike traded places, and El helped Karen with breakfast while Mike cleaned up. Mike was careful not to wake up Nancy, since he was in the bathroom upstairs showering. When he came downstairs, El and his mom were setting the plates of food on the table. They all sat down together and ate quickly and quietly.

"El, I picked you up some medicine at the store the other day to take if you want. It'll help keep you calm on the flight. I know you've never been on or even seen a plane so I didn't know if-" Karen said.

"Thank you," El said with a smile. She smiled and nodded and sipped her coffee. Mike and El talked quietly for a bit until it was time to go. They loaded up the car and went to pick up Max, and then they were on their way. Finally time for vacation.

**Friday, November 21, 1998, 2:15pm: Alberta, Canada, Blackwood Mountain: Chris Hartley**

"So, Chris, you gonna smash Ashley this weekend?" Josh asked. He was being playful about it, but Chris knew he was being very serious.

"You know Josh, it isn't all about sex. Especially for girls. You gotta take time to get to know them first. You know, form a connection," Chris said.

"Nah. Just go for it man. Girls...they like to be told what they want. Just make her believe she wants to bang you and you'll be home free man!"

Chris rolled his eyes. Josh was a good friend, but he knew nothing about girls, relationships, or sex.

"I'm just trying to enlighten you man! You really like this girl, so just go for it! You'll never get her if you don't try," Josh said. They walked around back to the fuse box and Josh switched on the electricity for the lodge.

"Yea well, I'll just take it slow with her. You know Ashley is kind of reserved. She doesn't...she isn't..."

"Isn't what?"

"Like other girls."

"That's what they all say my friend," Josh said. He patted Chris on the shoulder and pushed past him to walk back around to the front of the cabin. They were a bit early, but they needed to get things a bit organized and cleaned up. Chris followed Josh, his feet trudging through the snow. He got an uncomfortable feeling-like he was being watched. He quickly whipped his head around and scanned the tee line.

I must be paranoid, he thought. He couldn't help but feel like it was only sane to be paranoid after what happened with Hannah and Beth. They just disappeared. Who in the hell would be far enough up in the mountains with them to kidnap them? Certainly they were dead.

"Chris? You okay?" A female voice asked. He snapped his head back from the woods and saw Ashley and Samantha in front of him.

"Oh yea. I'm good. Did you guys make it up here alright?" He asked the girls.

"Yea, smooth ride. But it's freezing. Why aren't we inside getting a fire going and...you know...staying warm?" Sam asked.

"Josh has to pick the lock. He forgot his key," Chris laughed. Sam chuckled and made her way over to the front door, where Josh was using any sharp object he could find to work on the lock.

"It feels awfully cold...even for November," Ashley said awkwardly. She really liked Chris too and didn't have a clue how to act around him. Boys were never really her strong suit.  
"Yea...it is," Chris agreed. He was mentally hitting himself for being so awkward.

_Just talk to her like a normal person!_ He scolded himself.

"Should we get to the others? So when they get the door unlocked we can get in and get warmed up?" Ashley said.

"Good idea," Chris said. He was hitting himself in the head again in his mind. God, why was he so awkward?

Ashley smiled softly and turned to walk to the front of the house, her arms folded against her chest to try and keep warm.

"When will the others be here?" Ashley asked.

"Mike and Jessica are on their way up. They should be here anytime. I'm uh...not sure about Matt and Emily," he said.

"Matt?"

"Emily's new boyfriend."

"Oh, right. I think I met him briefly at a football game," Ashley said. No more words were exchanged between them as they walked up behind Josh and Sam and stood there.

"And we...are...in!" Josh said, pushing the door open. Everyone let out breaths of relief and piled inside. Chris instantly grabbed firewood and the girls were immediately turning on the central heating.

**Friday, November 21, 1998, 3:30pm: Alberta, Canada, Blackwood Mountain: Joshua Washington**

Josh stood there, watching as his friends worked hard to start warming the place up. He felt like a menace; he wanted to cause some chaos. The way they all nonchalantly moved around, pretending like two of their best friends didn't disappear on this very mountain a year ago. The way they all acted like nothing ever happened-like Hannah and Beth were still there.

**Friday, November 21, 1998, 3:30pm: Alberta, Canada, Blackwood Mountain: Jessica Riley**

"Are we sure that they're even there yet? What if we get up there and no one is there yet and we get stuck outside and freeze and-" Jess ranted.

"You're soo overreacting. Josh said himself he was gonna be there already. You'll be fine," Michael laughed. Jess glared at him. He was teasing her and she knew it.

"Okay, but if we get cold and start to freeze, maybe you could uh...warm me up a bit," she said, licking her lips playfully.

"Hmm well maybe Josh should be late then," Michael said. He wore her favorite sexy smirk when he said it, and Jess wanted to rip his clothes off then and there.

The ski lift came to a stop and they climbed out.

"Why isn't anyone here? I don't even see someone operating the lifts," Jess said.

"We just talked to them when we got on the lift. Surely they're around here somewhere. Maybe he went out to take a leak," Mike said. Jess still couldn't shake the anxiety pitting in her stomach. Luckily, she didn't see the blood on the operating counter and the wall behind it.


	3. Chapter 2 - Jealousy/Darkness

**Friday, November 21, 1998, 6:22pm: Alberta, Canada, Blackwood Mountain: El Hopper**

Mike, El, Max, Will, Dustin, and Lucas landed in Alberta. The flight was rough for El, and now she was nauseated and needed a minute to rest before getting in a car. They had to go to a ski resort and use the lift to access the lodge, since the car wouldn't make it up there. To El, that seemed a little...off, to say the least.

"Hey, you alright?" Mike asked.

"Doesn't it seem strange to you that we have to use a ski lift to access the lodge?" El asked.

"Not really. It's a pretty steep mountainside. No vehicle would be able to get up there," Mike said. El nodded and frowned as they all went outside to the car that was waiting for them. The driver helped them load their stuff in the trunk and he drove them to the bottom of the ski lift.

"Thank you," they said. They unloaded their bags and climbed into one of the lift carts. After a minute, there was no movement.

"What's going on?" Max asked. She huddled close to Lucas. It was so cold there compared to Indiana.

"Let's just phone up there and see what's going on," Will said. He leaned over and pressed the button for the radio to the top and it buzzed.

"Hello? Hello, is anyone there?" Will said. No response. El, Mike, and Will were sitting with their backs to the top of the mountain. El turned around and squinted, trying to get a look up there.

"I'm not sure anyone is there. Hang on guys," she said. She took Mike's hand and closed her eyes. She focused for a second and the others were confused until they felt the cart start to move up and saw the blood dripping from El's nose. When they finally got to the top, El collapsed against his shoulder and let out a deep breath of exhaustion.

"Well...we're here," she said. The others climbed out and Mike stood up and put his arm around her waist and she put her arm around his shoulders. He helped her out and the others were standing there waiting. Once Mike and El were out, the others went outside. Mike followed behind them, still holding El's hand since she'd finally pulled away from him, able to stand on her own. Mike felt a tug on his hand and he turned around, El standing there still.

"El what's wrong?" He asked.

"Something feels off Mike...there's just...there's something that just isn't right," she said.

"Hey, it's alright. You're just exhausted. Let's get you to the lodge and you can take a break and we can get you all fixed up," he said. She nodded hesitantly and he put his arm around her shoulders and she put one arm across her body so her hand could hold his on her shoulder, and she rested her other hand on his chest as she walked beside him. She still had an uneasy feeling in her stomach and she stayed as close to Mike as possible as they trudged through the snow covered paths towards the lodge.

After about 20 minutes of walking, the group finally came up to the lodge.

"Uh guys...why are the lights on?" Dustin asked. He came to a complete stop, causing Will, Max, and Lucas to run right into him.

"Maybe they turned on the electricity for us," Max said.

"Yea but that wouldn't mean the lights would come on. In order for that to happen, the light switches would've had to have been flipped up already. I think there's someone in there," Dustin said.

"Well just go to the door and go inside and we'll find out," Lucas said. Dustin rolled his eyes and led the way into the house and El looked around paranoid. She subconsciously gripped the fabric of Mike's shirt when she saw something moving in the woods.

"El, it's alright. You're okay," he said gently. She nodded but her heart was racing, even as they stepped up onto the porch. Dustin pushed the door open and was greeted by 8 pairs of eyes staring at him, the others stepping inside behind him.

**Friday, November 21, 1998, 7:56pm: Alberta, Canada, Blackwood Mountain: Chris Hartley**

"Uh...who are you?" Chris asked, moving in front of Ashley. Michael stood in front of Jess and Matt in front of Em and Sam.

"I'm Dustin. Who are you?" Dustin snapped.

"I'm Chris. What are you doing here?" He asked, stepping towards them.

"The Washington travel company rented this lodge to us for the weekend. This weekend," Mike said, stepping in front of El when he saw Chris step closer to the group.

"Josh you said we were free to come this weekend!" Michael snapped.

"They told me it was open this weekend!" Josh said, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Well clearly it wasn't! Why don't you guys go on home?" Chris asked.

"Yea sure, we'll do that. We'll just book another flight back to Indiana...you know...in the Midwest United States," Lucas said sarcastically. Chris' eyes went wide and he looked back at Michael and Josh and Matt. The four of them gathered in a circle to talk, staying in front of the girls just to be safe.

"We can't just let them stay," Michael said.

"We can't send them home either. They traveled over 1500 miles to get here," Matt said.

"So, what then? We let them stay and pray they don't kill us in our sleep?" Michael said, glaring at Matt. Of course they wouldn't get along. Matt was dating Emily now.

"We're standing right here still," Max said. Lucas grabbed her arm to keep her calm.

"Careful Max. They could be crazy and kill you for that," Lucas whispered. Then Josh stepped over to them, which made Mike push El behind him, Lucas doing the same to Max.

"My name is Joshua Washington. My family owns this lodge. Here's the deal: this house is huge. And the architecture of it was designed to basically be divided into two sides, meeting together in the middle for a lounge room, which is, well, where we are standing. I'll let you stay here. You guys on one side and me and my friends on the other. Alright?" Josh said. Mike opened his mouth to speak, but the lights flickered and then the power went out. 

"Why is the power out?" Ashley asked.

"I don't know. Between the storm and the fact that this cabin barely gets used, it probably short circuited. I'll head to the basement and try and reset it," Josh said. He nodded at the Hawkins group and then his own and trudged over to the basement door and went down.

"Mike, I am telling you something is off here. I think we should go..." El mumbled.

**Friday, November 21, 1998, 9:12pm: Alberta, Canada, Blackwood Mountain: El Hopper**

The group took Josh up on his offer to stay on the other side of the cabin, but only because they couldn't travel home until Sunday afternoon.

"Guys, let's all get beds set up in one bedroom. I don't trust these people, especially not that Josh guy," Mike said.

"That's a good idea. Something seemed wrong with him Plus, it has been an hour and a half since he went downstairs to check the power and it still isn't back on and we haven't seen him. You'd think he would've come back to tell us something was wrong," Max said.

"Maybe he had to go to a different building on the property," Will suggested.

"But he said 'basement'. Besides, who would put the breaker for the main building in another building?" Dustin asked. Will shrugged and Mike took a step towards them.

"It doesn't matter. Just...go drag the mattresses from the other beds in here and we'll all stay in here together. Once we do that we'll figure out starting a fire and getting warmed up. Alright?" He said. They all sighed and nodded in agreement.

"Oh, and stick together. Don't wander around alone," Mike said. They all dispersed and dragged the mattresses into the room and set their beds up.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked, sitting beside El.

"I already told you. Something is wrong. Especially with that guy, Josh. I could feel it when he stepped towards us. And when we were in the woods on the way up, I felt something, too. It was like the demogorgon. We aren't alone up here. I'm really scared," El said. Mike sighed and put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Don't be scared. First thing in the morning, I'm going to call about getting us out of here and we'll figure out a vacation somewhere else. A little closer to civilization, and a little closer to home. I promise," he said softly. She smiled and reached up and put her hand on his cheek and kissed him.

"Woahhh hey none of that. We're all going to be in the same room now, so I don't want to hear it. And I definitely don't want to see it, " Lucas said with a laugh.

"Oh whatever we've never even done that before," Mike laughed as he got up to help them get the mattresses through the doorway. Eleven smiled at him and then sighed. She got up and went over to the huge bay window in the bedroom and climbed into it to look outside. She felt relaxed for a split second. The gentle snowfall coating the trees and the fresh layer already on the ground. It was quiet. No noise pollution from cars and parties and neighbors. Her feeling of peace was gone when she remembered what she saw in the woods. She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but it sure as hell wasn't a moose or a bear.

And that's when she caught a glimpse of it again.

"Mike! Mike come here!" She yelled. He ran over to the window.

"What? What's wrong are you okay?" He asked, checking her over.

"I saw something out there!" She cried. She was freaking out. The stuff with the demogorgons and the mind flayer had been over for a year, but that didn't mean the flashbacks and the nightmares were. Mike pulled her back from the window and scanned the woods. He checked thoroughly and of course, saw nothing. He backed up and pulled the curtains shut and grabbed her cheeks.

"Hey, El! El, baby look at me! There is nothing out there. It's okay. You're safe. You're perfectly safe," Mike cooed, petting her hair and holding her head against his chest.

"What's going on?" Max asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"She keeps thinking there's something in the woods," Mike said softly.

"JOSH IS GONE!" Someone from the other group shouted. They all stopped what they were doing and ran into the living room.

"What's going on?" Lucas asked.

"Josh he's...he's gone! When I went downstairs the basement door was wide open and it was freezing and there were footprints in the snow out the door!" Ashley said.

"Why would he just leave?" Michael asked.

"Where's Sam?" Jess asked.

"I don't know why he'd leave. And Sam is upstairs taking a bath. Stay here everyone. I'm going to go find Josh," Chris said.

"I'll come with you!" Ashley said.

"No that's not happening. I need you to stay here where I know you're safe," Chris said.

"I'll go," El said.

"What? I don't even know you," Chris said.

"My name is Eleven. El, for short. I can protect you," El said. Michael, Matt, Ashley, Emily, Jess, and Chris all looked at each other and burst out laughing. None of the Hawkins group laughed though, because they knew. El looked back at Mike and he nodded. They stopped laughing but continued to look at El in amusement as she stuck her arms out in the air. She focused hard and her nose began to bleed, which is when they all went straight faced. She picked up the recliner in the living room and screamed as she threw it across the room, smashing it into a window. By then they were all slack jawed and speechless. El wiped the blood from her nose, smearing it on the back of her hand. Mike came over and put his hands on her waist and she looked at them. This time, she was the one with amusement on her face, as well as her friends.

"Still think she can't protect you?" Mike laughed.

"I...I...uh...okay," Chris said. He looked back at the others and stepped forward and shook her hand.

"My uh...my name is Chris," he said, still wearing the shock on his face.

"I'm El," she said again. After a minute, the initial shock wore off and Chris was ready to go.

"You ready?" He asked El.

"Just one minute," she said. She gave all of her friends hugs and got to Mike, who didn't look too happy.

"Mike..." she said, putting a hand on his cheek.

"Please be careful. I can't lose you," he said putting both of his hands on her cheeks as well.

"I promise I'll be careful. I love you," she said softly, her throat closing up.

"I love you too," Mike said. He kissed her softly and she hugged his torso tight. After a minute, she pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"Let's go," she said.

Chris and El walked out of the house and around the back to follow the footprints.

"So you...you have...you have powers," Chris stuttered, scanning the woods with his flashlight.

"Yes. And before you ask, no, I don't know how," El said and giggled, searching the woods on her side of the path. They walked along for a bit with no issues.

"Is Ashley your girlfriend?" El asked.

"Uh...no," Chris answered awkwardly.

"But you have a crush on her."

"Uh...yea..." Chris felt super awkward talking to a girl he just met, who has superpowers, about his crush on Ashley.

"Then why is she not your girlfriend?"

"It's complicated. Was that your boyfriend back there?"

"Mike? Yes. He's the one who saved me from the lab doing experiments on me. I love him so much," El said. She wasn't ashamed at all to talk about her relationship with a complete stranger. Chris smiled a bit. Maybe he could have that with Ashley someday.

"I promise I'll get you back to him," Chris said. She smiled at him and they trudged through the snow a little longer. El came to a stop. Something was walking through the woods.

"Chris, do you hear that?" El asked.

"Hear what?" He asked. El leaned in closer to hear but before she could explain what exactly she was hearing, she and Chris were struck across their heads on their temples, knocking both of them unconscious.

**Friday, November 21, 1998, 10:40pm: Alberta, Canada, Washington Lodge: Mike Wheeler**

"Mike good god, stop pacing! You're driving me nuts!" Lucas said.

"It's been too long. They should be back by now," he said.

"Wait, your name is Mike too?" Michael said. He stood up from his spot next to Jess and walked over to where Mike was still pacing.

"Not important right now," Jess said. Mike and Michael both rolled their eyes when the sound of screaming echoed faintly through the woods into the cabin.

"Eleven? Eleven where are you? ELEVEN!"

"Guys...that's Chris! Something is wrong!" Mike said. He pushed past Michael and ran to the front porch to hear which direction the voice was coming from.

**Friday, November 21, 1998, 10:42pm: Alberta, Canada, Blackwood Mountain: Chris Hartley**

Chris woke up with a horrible, throbbing pain in the side of his head. He sat up and brushed the snow off of his arms and felt around for his glasses. Once he could see, he grabbed his now dead flashlight and tried smacking it to make the lights work. Nothing.

"Shit...El are you al-" he spoke. He turned to where Eleven should have been laying. But the space where her body had landed on the ground was bare and there was a trail leading from it, still away from the lodge, where she must have been dragged away.

"Eleven? Eleven where are you? ELEVEN!" He shouted. He got to his feet and pushed through the nauseating dizziness that overtook him and followed the direction of the trail through the snow, praying he wouldn't find her dead.


	4. Chapter 4

**Friday, November 21, 1998, 11:00pm: Alberta, Canada, Blackwood Mountain: Chris Hartley**

Chris followed the trail for what felt like forever. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw a small stain of blood in the snow. He followed it all the way to a separate building and saw the door cracked open a bit, with a blood spot on the door itself.

"Shit..." he muttered. He went inside and saw the building was divided by a cage type wall. On the opposite side, through a locked door, was a wooden wall with two bodies hanging on it, tied with their hands above their heads. Eleven and Josh. Eleven had a decent sized wound on the side of her head, which he assumed was where the blood in the snow came from.

"Chris, glad you could finally join us," a deep voice said over a speaker.

"What the fuck is this?" He asked. He looked in front of him and saw a handle. On either side was a picture. On the left, an image of Josh. On the right, an image of Eleven. He looked up and saw Eleven with her head still hanging, still unconscious. In front of the two of them, there was a huge, circular saw blade, level with their waists.

"It's time for you to make a choice, Christopher," the voice of the psychopath said over the speaker. The saw started to spin, and El's eyes fluttered open. She lifted her head and as she came out of her unconscious state, she became aware of the pain in her head and her hands and feet tied up. She saw the other body hanging next to her, and the saw blade spinning in front of them, with a track that could be swayed to either one of them.

"Make a choice? What choice?" Chris shouted.

"Chris! What's happening!?" El screeched. Her throat was raw and dry, but she didn't care.

"Josh, or Eleven. Your best friend, or the sweet little girl you just met. Which one will be sawed in half? Pick, Christopher. You have one minute, or I choose for you," the psychopath said. He laughed maniacally and Josh woke up beside El. He stared terrified at the saw blade as Chris despaired over his decision.

"Yo Chris! Man don't do this to me come on!" Josh pleaded.

"Chris please!" El cried. She was too weak to stop the saw with her powers. She had already tried twice, and saw her vision go black and felt vomit in her throat when she did.

"30 seconds, Christopher."

Chris covered his ears and screamed. He had no damn idea what to do. He put his hand on the handle. Maybe if the psychopath thought he was about to make a choice he'd have just a few more seconds to try and devise a plan.

"Chris come on please! You've known me for years! You just met this bitch!" Josh pleaded.

"God no! Chris please you promised me! MIKE!" El screamed.

**Friday, November 21, 1998, 11:35pm: Alberta, Canada: Washington Lodge: Mike Wheeler**

Mike swore he could hear El's voice screaming his name in his ears.

"Jesus...I'm going after them," he said, standing up and putting his coat and boots on.

"Mike that isn't a good idea..." Lucas started.

"Lucas if you want to sit by and wait to see what happens to them, be my guest. I wouldn't expect you to understand. But that's my girlfriend. If she needs me and I'm not there and something happens to her? I'd die," He said.

"But what if she comes back needing you and you aren't here?" Lucas said. Mike sighed. He had a point.

"Your friend is right. How about him and I go looking for them and you wait here, just in case?" Michael said. Mike looked back and forth between Lucas and Michael and let out a long, loud sigh.

"Fine," he said. He took his coat off and threw it on the ground and trudged over to the sofa and plopped down. Will patted Mike's shoulder and he choked back the angry tears threatening to spill.

"Alright, you ready?" Michael asked. Lucas nodded and kissed Max quickly.

"Be safe," she said.

"I'll be back," he said. She nodded and he and Michael went outside with flashlights and followed the footprints, that they assumed were Chris' and El's, around the house and into the woods.

**Friday, November 21, 1998, 11:45pm: Alberta, Canada, Blackwood Mountain: Chris Hartley**

"Christopher, I've been very gracious and given you time to choose. It's time to turn the handle," the psychopath said.

"Chris, don't do this man, please!" Josh cried.

"Chris you promised me! You promised! Please!" El sobbed. Chris had no idea what the word promise truly meant to Eleven.

I promise I'll get you back to him. That's what he had said to her.

"Jesus...Josh, I'm so sorry..." he said. Tears rolled down his face as he turned the handle in Josh's direction and the sawblade started moving. El was screaming, trying to block out Josh's pleas and cries.

"No Chris what did I ever do to you? What did I ever do? What did I-AHHHHH!" The saw cut into Josh's waistline and blood sprayed everywhere. El screamed louder to try and block out Josh's screams of pain as the saw sliced him in half. His blood, guts, and chunks of flesh sprayed all over El's body. She was still screaming her throat raw when the saw came to a stop. The door to the other room unlocked automatically and Chris ran in and untied El's feet and her hands.

"Fuck...don't look...don't look..." he cried. He couldn't force El's head away in time and she saw Josh's body, shredded apart right at his waist.

"Oh my god!" She screamed as tears poured down her cheeks. Chris held her up and guided her out of the building.

"Don't look back..."

** Saturday, November 22, 1998, 12:01am: Alberta, Canada, Blackwood Mountain: Lucas Sinclair and Michael Munroe **

"We should have come across them by now..." Lucas said. They scanned every nook and cranny of the woods with their lights, just in case they were hiding in a little burrow or something.

"Help! Help!"

"That's her! That was Eleven!" Lucas said. He took off running in the direction of her voice and Michael followed. They ran for a couple of minutes and came up to them, El still sobbing and unable to maintain balance as they walked.

"Jesus Christ what happened to you?!" Michael said.

"Lucas..." El cried.

"I can't...there was a psycho...he made me choose...Josh is...he's dead...I had to choose...god I'm so sorry..." Chris stuttered. He was crying again and El held on to Lucas for dear life.

"Jesus...let's get you back to the lodge..." Michael said. He patted Chris on the back and Lucas held on to El as they walked through the woods. Michael stayed behind the others, clearly being the only one who was alert enough to deal with any threat; namely that psychopathic bastard Chris mentioned.

**Saturday, November 22, 1998, 12:15am: Alberta, Canada, Washington Lodge: El Hopper**

"Dammit they should be back! Everyone needs to stop leaving this fucking lodge and stay together!" Mike shouted. That's when the door opened. First in came Chris, then Michael, and lastly, Lucas, who was holding onto El. Mike felt his heart stop when he saw the blood and bits of flesh all over El's right side of her body.

"Mike!" El cried and lunged in his direction.

"Oh my god El!" Mike said. He reached out and pulled El tightly against him as the others gathered around them, Chris emotionally trying to explain what happened.

"Why didn't you pick Josh, Chris? We just met this girl, and you picked her over Josh? Are you serious?" Emily said, crossing her arms. Mike listened as Chris explained what happened and the other criticized him. Ashley, however, remained silent.

"I...I promised her!" Chris choked out.

"Promised her what? You just. Fucking. Met. Her!" Emily shouted.

"I promised her I was going to bring her back to him!" Chris shouted back, pointing at Mike. He held El closer to him and El broke down. He'd never felt her shake so hard or be as afraid as she was at this moment, not even after all of the fights they'd had with creatures from the upside down.

"You're kidding me, right? You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Emily screamed.

"Jesus for once in your life shut the fuck up Emily!" Michael screamed. Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Max hovered around Mike and El, trying to help calm her down.

"God I can't take it. Jessica and I are going to the guest house. I'll take a damn shotgun just in case, but I can't be around you anymore right now. See you in the morning," Michael snapped. Jessica smiled at them sassily and then gave Emily the finger as she took Michael's hand. He grabbed a shotgun in the other hand and they walked out the door.

"We really shouldn't let them go alone like that," Sam said.

"It's their choice," Ashley said. She walked over to El and held her hand out.

"Do you want to get cleaned up?" She asked. She looked down at the blood stained clothes on El's body and nearly threw up at seeing the small pieces of flesh clinging to her coat. El wandered over to the standing mirror in the living room and got a truly good look at herself. Her wrists were dark purple from the ropes that she had been hanging from. The side of her head was busted open, with a trail of blood down her face and the wound clotted over. But what really got her was the blood of that boy all over her. She felt herself get dizzy and fell backwards. Luckily, Mike was right behind her, so he caught her and gently lowered her to the floor.

"Baby, why don't you let Ashley help you get cleaned up?" He said softly. Ashley and Max hovered in the corner. Max explained to her that El had a pretty traumatic past and sometimes, when she was overwhelmed and scared, if anyone that wasn't Mike tried to approach her she'd freak out.

"No...you..." she whimpered, on the verge of tears yet again. Mike sighed sympathetically and helped her up.

"She wants me to help her..." Mike said awkwardly.

"That's okay. I can show you where the bathroom is with the big bathtub and get you some soap and grab her clothes," Ashley said. Mike nodded and they followed Ashley to a large bathroom. Mike separated for a second to get El a change of clothes. El was shocked when she walked into the bathroom. The bathtub was bigger than her bed!

"So...here's some shampoo and conditioner, some body wash, and a washcloth," Ashley said, setting them on the side of the tub. She started the tub with some hot water.

"I'm going to make you some tea while you clean up. Luckily, the stove is gas and the water is separate from the electricity. It'll help calm your nerves. We're all on edge, maybe we could all use it," Ashley said. El actually giggled a little bit and thanked her. Mike ducked past her into the bathroom and Ashley shut the door gently. El undressed and climbed into the warm water and tucked her knees against her chest, rocking back and forth as she watched the water turn red around her from the blood.

"Don't think about it. Let's just get you cleaned up and out of here," Mike said gently.

** Saturday, November 22, 1998, 12:49am: Alberta, Canada, Washington Lodge: Ashley Brown **

Ashley walked downstairs and went to the kitchen to prepare some tea for Eleven. She was filling the kettle with water when Matt and Emily materialized behind her.  
"We're going to go for help. One of the people from Hawkins...Dustin, I think...is going to come with us because he's good with radios and all that stuff," Matt said.

"I don't think you should go..." Ashley said.

"We don't have any other choice, Ash. Besides, all three of us together? We'll be fine," Emily said. Ashley sighed but nodded in agreement.

"Okay...just, please, call if you need anything, alright?" Ashley said. She didn't like everyone splitting up. She hugged them both and watched in despair as they also walked out the door. She was terrified. The more of them that left, the more dangerous it was. Now it was just her, Sam, Chris, and the ones from Hawkins. This entire situation seemed not to bother them, which she found weird. They acted like they'd seen some serious shit.

**Saturday, November 22, 1998, 12:55am: Alberta Canada, Guest House: Jessica Riley and Michael Munroe**

"I can't believe Chris killed Josh..." Jess said.

"I can't either. I don't understand why he'd be so worried about keeping a promise to some girl-who's name is ELEVEN-that he just met. Why was that his determining factor? It doesn't make sense," Michael said. Jess sat down on the blanket in front of the fire.

"She has powers, Mike. She can protect us," Jess pointed out.

"I wouldn't give a shit if she was fucking wonder woman! She's a stranger that Chris chose to save over his best friend!" Michael yelled.

"Mike calm down please...you freaking out won't bring Josh back..." Jess said. He let out a sigh and tried to relax himself.

"You're right...I'm sorry," he said. He sat beside her and they sat in silence for a few minutes.

"We could still try to have a little fun..." she giggled and looked at him playfully. He smirked at her and took off his jacket.

"Wait! I need to close these curtains first. Can't risk the psychopath watching us, can we?" Jess laughed. Michael loved how playful she was. She got up and closed the curtains to the living room window. Then she waltzed over to the door, swaying her hips. She made sure the door was locked and then closed the little curtain over the window on the door.

"There, that's better!" She said with another giggle. But her sweet little giggles turned to screams a large pair of inhuman hands smashed through the window, grabbing her by her hair and her shoulder. It pulled her into the window and she felt the remaining shards of glass slicing into her skin and tearing her clothes.

"Michael, help me!" Jess screamed.

"Oh my god Jessica!" He shouted. He ran to her as fast as he could, but just as he outstretched his hands to grab her, her body was yanked through the window and the echoes of her screams faded into the woods.

"JESSICA!" Mike shouted again. But all that was left behind was her blood all over the window frame and the shards of her clothes and skin that had torn on the broken glass.

** Saturday, November 22, 1998, 1:27am: Alberta, Canada, Washington Lodge: El Hopper **

El sat in the bathtub for a while in the warm water, scrubbing her hair and her skin raw. When she finally got out she wrapped up in a towel and sat on the stool at the vanity and Mike towel dried her hair for her. She put on another pair of normal clothes, just in case they had to leave again.

"You doing okay?" Mike asked softly, rubbing her shoulders gently. She looked at her face in the mirror. The wound on the side of her head and the dark circles from exhaustion under her eyes.

"I don't know..." she said, leaning back against him.

"Why don't we go downstairs to the others and we'll get you that tea," Mike said. She smiled ever so softly and nodded. They walked down the stairs and El's senses were flooded with the sweet smell of chamomile and honey. She went over to the couch and Mike put a blanket around her shoulders. Ashley came over with a coffee mug with tea in it.

"Here," she said gently.

"Thank you..." El said quietly. Ashley sat down next to her and fixed the blanket so it didn't fall off her shoulders. She remembered what Chris had said in the woods about his little crush on Ashley and she looked at her.

"Chris saved me. All because of a promise he made me in the woods. He's...he's really a great guy," El said. Ashley turned red and smiled softly. She looked over at Chris, who was leaning against the mantle of the fireplace, biting his thumbnail, obviously dwelling on the night's events.

"Yea, he is, isn't he," Ashley said softly.

"You should go talk to him. I think it would help him," El said. She glanced at him again and nodded.

"I will. Let me know if you need anything else," she said. El nodded at her and she got up and went over to Chris. Mike put his arms around El and she leaned into his chest.

"We're going to be okay, El," he said softly.

"Okay..." El said. But she didn't believe him. She still felt that pit in her stomach, and she knew damn well from past experience that this wasn't over.


End file.
